Snapdragons and Children

When I was a young mum of two sweet children (Amanda and Scott) and a new homeowner with dreams of having a yard others would envy I loved spending weekends working in my flowerbeds from morning until after dark. It was truly a labor of love and even though after a hot shower and late supper I would fall into bed that night with aching muscles and dirt under my nails I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. I wanted my kids to feel that same love for flowers and trees and the beauty they could bring to an ordinary plot of grass. As they grew up they showed little interest in my flower gardens other than they loved to smell the flowers and liked to help me pick a bouquet to enjoy inside or pick some and take to their beloved mamaw. I was always looking for something to catch their interest. Even though I didn't realize it at the time I did accomplish that one day when I planted some snapdragons. I showed them how that the flower resembles face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when you squeeze the sides. Every year these pretty little perennial flowers would come up and every year my kids would squeeze the little flowers to make sure the little dragon was still there. Opening and closing its little mouth with every loving squeeze.

Last year my daughter bought a home in the country. When she wanted some colorful flowers to fill her flower pots at her entryway she and I headed to Lowe's Garden Shop and you guessed it! Yellow and pink snapdragons fill her pots and show their beautiful tiny dragon faces proudly welcoming them home each day. Memories of her childhood and her mum and a flower she learned to love. 

 The other day I was in the backyard with my  precious grandson, Case. I was pulling grass and weeds out of my flowerbeds from around a couple of rose bushes that I planted last fall and a few other plants that were starting to push up through the dirt with the warm sunny Spring days. As I was working there on my knees, Case who will be 4 at the end of July asks me, Mamaw, can we plant some snapdragons? I said, yes we can. In fact we already have snapdragons coming up that we planted last year. He then told me that he and his mommy had went to Lowe's last week and bought snapdragons and planted in their pots again this year. I like snapdragons Mamaw. So does your mommy Case.